Widowed, chronically ill and driven from her home, a convert to Christianity discovers the faithfulness of God amid fiery trials. 

When Domiana’s husband died in 2013, she shank into deep despair. Her husband’s parents, who were no longer willing to support her and her children, had taken the family’s belongings and kicked them out of their home. Living in a poor neighborhood in Egypt, raising three preteens on her own with no income, Domiana struggled to survive. And she received no support from the local Islamic community. 

To make matters worse, she was battling a chronic illness. After multiple treatments failed to improve her condition, she faced the difficult decision of whether to undergo a risky operation. 

“I had to do many surgeries to remove cysts,” she said, “and it didn’t work. The doctor said it would be dangerous to do another operation.” But the physician, who was a Christian, advised one additional treatment — prayer.  

“The doctor told me that Jesus can heal,” she recalled, “and [that I should] ask the real God for a breakthrough.” Her cysts disappeared days later, with no trace of the disease remaining. 

After experiencing this miracle through prayer, Domiana felt abandoned by the religion she had followed since childhood. So she cried out to the One True God to reveal Himself to her. “I asked God to enlighten my path,” she said. “I told Him I’m astray.” 

As Domiana continued to seek God, she experienced a vision of Christ speaking to her. Though fearful and confused, she felt immediate peace. 

Wanting the same peace for her children, she asked Jesus to reveal Himself to them so they could know Him, too. 

The children noticed an immediate difference in their mother as well as a new peace pervading their home. And after Domiana shared the news of her healing with them, they wanted to know more about Jesus and how He had transformed her. 

Soon, all of her children placed their faith in Christ, and the family began attending a church in Cairo. But while Domiana had found physical healing and her family had found peace in Christ, her journey of suffering was far from over. 

Within a few weeks, the news spread that Domiana and her children had left Islam to follow Christ. Local Muslims who had seen her leaving the church decided to follow her home. And when they saw a pastor visit her house carrying Bibles, they broke in and physically assaulted her and the pastor. Eventually, they set the building on fire and also burned several churches in the area in an effort to stop others from turning to Christ.  

“Many people invaded our house and kicked us out of our apartment,” Domiana said. “We spent three days on the street. I was frightened and sad about my kids being cold in the street, but at the same time, I was secure in my heart and knew that we were following the truth.” 

After being evicted and moving to another apartment, she and her children immediately faced more opposition and threats from Islamic religious leaders. 

Eventually, the Islamic leaders’ threats led to violence. Local Muslims broke into the family’s new apartment and tortured Domiana’s son, cutting a tattoo off his arm that had identified him as a Christian. They threatened to kill Domiana and her children unless they returned to Islam, but Domiana stood firm in faith. “I was confident that God would take care of us,” she said. 

After the attack, the Muslims who had broken into the family’s apartment watched them closely and prevented them from leaving, even to get food. Trapped and isolated, Domiana sought help from the Lord. 

“I prayed, ‘If You want to use us, You let us out,’” she said. When they finally escaped the apartment, Domiana and one of her sons returned to collect their Bibles and other Christian books they had received from the church. But as they were leaving, they were again attacked by the Muslims. During the attack, Domiana took encouragement from Christ’s sufferings. 

“They were beating us and spitting on us,” she said, “but I heard a voice in my spirit that said, ‘I am beaten and spat on.’” Domiana and her children were suddenly on the run. As news of the attacks made headlines, an Egyptian pastor became aware of Domiana’s situation and helped the family relocate to a neighboring country. 

After fleeing Egypt in 2015, Domiana and her family struggled to start over in their new surroundings. Finding somewhere to live without an income was difficult, and they had to move multiple times while looking for jobs. 

But eventually, Domiana connected with VOM workers through a local church. And VOM has helped her with living expenses while her family tries to rebuild their lives in a new country. 

Though Domiana has faced many challenges, her faith has never wavered, and she hopes that God will use her story for His purposes. “Every day is better than yesterday,” she said. “The Lord has been faithful to me. He has not left us. I only ask God to use us for His glory.”